Hello Again!

I've been traveling a lot in the first part of 2016 and am glad to be back with Monday Night Dharma this fall! I taught a retreat in Brazil, March monthlong retreat at Spirit Rock, spent 6 weeks on a retreat of my own at the Forest Refuge, and other trips to teach in Hawaii, Massachusetts, South Carolina, Seattle, St. Louis, and Los Angeles.  I am happy to be home! 

This year I got a chance to explore the Buddhist teaching of Paticca Samuppada (Dependent Co-Arising), which is one of the key insight into causality that the Buddha had at his awakening. If you want to check it out, there is a series of Dhamma talks "The Law of Dependent Arising" by a Sri Lankan monk Ven Ñāṇananda that are excellent, though maybe somewhat dense to read. He is also the author of the great books "The Magic of the Mind", "Concept and Reality", and a series of Dhamma talks called "Nibbana: the Mind Stilled" (the first two are more accessible).

I came out of retreat to see that our San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick has been busy growing out a fantastic 'fro and taking a peaceful stand against racial injustice, particularly police brutality against people of color. I am happy to see so many pro, college and high school athletes taking up this issues, since athletes are such public figures in the US, and this is such a terrible and pervasive problem. We are uncovering the dukkha (suffering) of what has already been happening, thanks to more video cameras, which will hopefully lead to some positive change.

Meanwhile the presidential election madness continues. I strongly suggest investing in your meditation practice to build some equanimity around all this! If you find yourself careening between despair and indifference you are not alone. Don't forget about the local elections and initiatives (these Haikus describe the CA ones) that will also impact our lives. Consider it advanced practice to stay balanced and open during this season! May we all face the uncertainty with wisdom and love.